To the Point

Will the Iraq War Make Us Safer from Terrorism?

A very upbeat President Bush today welcomed Iraq-s new interim government as a step toward achieving his goals in the Middle East. The President voiced optimism, calling it a -major step- on -a very hopeful day,- but warned that more violence is still to come. Once again, he linked the Iraq intervention to the war on terror. We hear about Iraq-s new President, who-s been critical of the United States, and explore whether involvement in Iraq is protecting the US or making it more vulnerable than ever? Would US resources be better spent on homeland security? Warren Olney gets perspective from a veteran war correspondent, experts in defense and national security from the American Enterprise Institute, Army War College and Heritage Foundation, and former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart. Making News: New Interim Government in Iraq A Sunni tribal chief and businessman critical of the US has been named the new President of Iraq. Brushing aside such concerns, President Bush welcomed Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawar. Though he credited UN Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi for choosing the new government, it is reported that the US lobbied hard to influence the decision. Rod Nordland, Baghdad Bureau Chief for Newsweek magazine, has been reporting on the weeks of negotiations. Reporter-s Notebook: Majority of Athens Tickets Still Not Sold Since the City of Athens won the right to host the 2004 Olympics, the major concern has been whether the stadiums would be finished on time. Now, with the games just over two months away, there-s a growing fear that there won-t be enough spectators to fill the seats. John Ross, columnist for the English edition of the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, says that could be bad news for Greece, and potentially for the Olympic movement.